There’s a good turnout this year, isn’t there?” Billy commented, standing next to Rae on the front steps of the library. It was the Saturday of Columbus Day weekend, the first of three days of the annual Friends of the Library book sale, and the two of them were watching as several dozen people browsed through the books that volunteers had arranged on folding tables on the sidewalk in front of the library.
“It’s the best turnout I’ve ever seen,” Rae said with satisfaction. “And believe me, I’ve seen a lot of these sales. Of course, it helps that it’s such a nice day,” she added with a little sigh of pleasure.
“Absolutely,” Billy agreed. They’d had an early cold snap this fall. When Billy had gone out to walk Murphy that morning, the grass was white with frost and the chilly air smelled of wood smoke. But now it was almost noon, and the sun felt warm on Billy’s upturned face. Still, the leaves on the oak trees outside the library were already splashed with gold. By late afternoon, Billy knew, she would be glad of the wool cardigan she’d worn over her cotton dress.
“So, how’s Luke doing?” Rae asked.
“He’s doing . . . he’s doing really well,” Billy said, knowing that she was not exaggerating when she said this. “I mean, he and Wesley are still adjusting to their new relationship. It’s a work in progress.”
“Well, it would be, wouldn’t it?” Rae said. “I wish there was a video of the two of them seeing each other for the first time, though.”
“Honestly, Rae, it never even occurred to me to film it. I was too nervous even to think straight,” Billy said.
“Can I see the picture again, though?” Rae asked now.
Billy took her phone out of her dress pocket, scrolled to find the picture, and handed it to Rae. She’d taken it of father and son sitting in the booth at the coffee shop. Luke had it, too. It was his phone’s wallpaper now.
“What do you think?” she asked Rae, looking over her shoulder at her phone screen. “Do you see a resemblance?”
“Oh, absolutely,” Rae said. “I mean, Luke has your coloring. But the shape of his eyes, his chin, his jawline . . . yeah, it’s all there. He’s his father’s son. And lucky for him, his father’s not bad-looking.”
“No, he’s not,” Billy said. But she saw something in the photo that Rae might not have. She saw Luke’s shy smile as he sat beside a father who looked bemused to have found himself with a thirteen-year-old son who, a month before, he hadn’t known existed.
“And what about his wife? Is she getting comfortable with this?” Rae asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, at first, as you know, it was hard for her,” Billy admitted. “But with two daughters who are so excited about having an older brother . . . I think that’s helped. Luke was Skyping with them last night. He might visit them over his spring break. We’re not sure yet.”
“Really?”
Billy nodded. “Wesley told Luke they could go to this place called the Great Bear Rainforest. There are Kermode bears there that you can observe—from a safe distance—so Luke is pretty excited about that. We’ll see. Fingers crossed.” Billy glanced now at her watch. “Oh, Rae. I have to go. It’s almost twelve. I’m supposed to meet Luke and Cal at Pearl’s for lunch.”
Rae shook her head admiringly. “I don’t know how you do it, Billy. At the beginning of the summer, Luke had zero fathers, and now he’s got two.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.” Billy smiled. Cal had told her he was in uncharted territory. He wanted to support her as a parent but didn’t want to overstep his boundaries with Luke. Fortunately, Luke seemed to like Cal, though he was still somewhat reserved around him.
“Speaking of Cal, how are things going for you two? Long-distance relationship and all.”
Billy smiled, remembering last weekend at Cal’s cabin. They’d borrowed a motorboat from his sister and had taken a picnic out on the lake. Later that evening, he cooked a delicious pasta dinner and they cuddled on the couch in front of a roaring fire. (Luke had been away for the weekend visiting his grandma and his new friend, Travis.) The long distances hadn’t diminished Billy and Cal’s feelings for each other. Far from it.
“Well,” Rae broke into her thoughts, “I guess I know the answer to that question by the look on your face. Now get going,” she said cheerfully.
As Billy headed down the steps, Mara called out to her. “Hi, Mara,” Billy said. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to see you here,” she added, smiling warmly.
“I guess not,” Mara said. “I have a question, though. Are these books really for sale?” She held up Billy’s box set of Jane Austen novels. She’d put them in the donation bin earlier in the week.
“Yes. They really are. Why do you ask?”
“Because they’re so beautiful,” Mara said. “Why would anybody want to give them away?”
“Well, to support a good cause,” Billy said reasonably. “And to make space for more books at home. And . . . to make time for other things they might want to do,” she added gently, not wanting to put a damper on Mara’s enthusiasm for the box set.
“Okay,” Mara said, apparently satisfied with this answer. “I just wanted to make sure it wasn’t a mistake. I mean, they’re only ten dollars.” She pointed at the price tag a volunteer had stuck on them.
“Ten dollars is still a lot of money for someone your age,” Billy said. “Are you sure you can afford them?”
“Uh-huh. I’ve been saving for this sale all summer.”
“I’ll bet you have,” Billy said. “Have you ever read Jane Austen, Mara?”
Mara shook her head.
“Well, then, you are in for a real treat,” Billy said.
“Is there . . . is there love in them?” Mara asked, a little shyly.
Billy resisted the urge to smile. So Mara did think about things other than books. “Oh, yeah. There’s love in them. Big-time love.” She reached for the box set and peeled the price tag off. “For you, Mara, these are free,” she said. “There. Now you have ten dollars to spend on other books.”
“But . . . can you do that?” Mara asked, looking around furtively.
“I can,” Billy assured her. “I can do that for an avid reader like you. I’ll tell Ms. Swanson they’re on the house,” she added of the volunteer in charge of the book sale.
“Thank you,” Mara said, pleased. “I’m going to browse a little more.”
Billy, surprising them both, gave her a quick hug. Then, realizing she was running late for her lunch with Cal and Luke, she hurried across the leaf-strewn street to Pearl’s.